144: Chapter 144 Sorrow! Four Women Besieged by Public Opinion

Tuesday morning's sunlight had barely pierced the clouds when an unusual tension filled the streets of Jiangcheng.

Just as Zhou Yurou arrived downstairs at the Singularity Technology office building, she was surrounded by seven or eight reporters holding cameras, their microphones thrust almost to the tip of her nose: "Ms. Zhou, may I ask if you and Zhang Fan are only business partners? Are the intimate conversations in the photos just about work?"

"Is it true that you abandoned your husband and daughter for President Zhang?"

"Ms. Zhou, is it true that you gave up better opportunities to help Zhang Fan start his business?"

The flashes kept blinking, stinging the eyes.

Zhou Yurou took a deep breath, maintaining a calm smile on her face, her voice clear and forceful: "President Zhang and I are just business partners. All the photos were taken while discussing the overseas operation plan for 'star path: reboot', and there are other colleagues present who can testify. Regarding my private life, I have no obligation to respond, but please respect the facts and do not be misled by false information."

As she spoke, she walked into the office building under the escort of her assistant. The reporters wanted to chase and ask more questions but were stopped by the security guards at the door.

Walking into the elevator, only then did Zhou Yurou drop her disguise and rub her tight temples. She had been busy until the early hours of the morning organizing the cooperation details with Lin Wanyi. She hadn't slept for a few hours before being engulfed by this public opinion storm.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Song Family Manor, reporters were gathered as well.

As Song Zhiwei got into the car, a reporter broke through the security cordon, took a picture of her profile, and shouted: "Miss Song, are you aware of the rumors between Zhang Fan and other women? Will the Song family continue to invest in Singularity?"

Song Zhiwei glanced coldly at the reporter through the car window and said to the driver: "Drive."

Subsequently, she dialed the public relations director, her tone carrying an unquestionable strength: "Within half an hour, I want to see apology statements from all the rumor-mongering marketing accounts. For those involving defamation, send lawyer letters directly. Also, investigate the few accounts that led the hype last night. Dig out their funding sources and the backers behind them. I want to know who is causing trouble behind the scenes."

The PR director on the other end of the line did not dare to neglect her, agreeing repeatedly.

Song Zhiwei put down her phone and looked at the rapidly receding street scene outside the window, but her heart felt somewhat complicated.

She was not worried about her own reputation, but she feared that this scandal would affect Zhang Fan's judgment, and even more, she feared that Lin Wanyi would waver in the cooperation.

After all, the Lu family's attitude toward Singularity was still unclear. Once the link with Lin Wanyi was lost, subsequent resistance against foreign capital would become even more passive.

In the Technology Department office of Singularity Technology, Liu Ruyan was debugging the optimization code for the Star Core Engine on her computer screen.

However, an entertainment news notification popping up in the bottom right corner of the screen made her fingertips pause—the headline was "Singularity Technology's Liu Ruyan: From ordinary programmer to technical director, is it due to Zhang Fan's 'special care'?"

The content twisted her experience of staying up late with Zhang Fan to fix bugs into "climbing up through connections."

The intern next to her was secretly looking at her, whispering: "Director Liu works so hard, how could she rely on connections..." "But the photos do look a bit ambiguous, maybe it's true?"

Liu Ruyan clenched the mouse, her knuckles turning white. It wasn't that she cared about others' gossip, but that she felt wronged.

From the humble studio at the beginning of Singularity to the industry benchmark it is now, she had stayed up countless nights with Zhang Fan. Every line of code in the Star Core Engine contained her hard work, but now, all these efforts were completely denied by the words "relying on connections."

She took a deep breath, closed the news notification, and forced herself to focus on the code, but no matter what, she couldn't read the characters on the screen.

Xia Qinyi, far away in a small southern county, could not escape this storm either.

When she went to the vegetable market to buy groceries, neighbor Auntie Wang pulled her aside, her tone full of gossip and worry: "Qinyi, I saw a photo of you and a man named Zhang Fan on the internet yesterday. It said he is a 'national scumbag.' What is your relationship with him exactly? Don't get deceived!"

Xia Qinyi paused for a moment, then smiled and explained: "Auntie Wang, that's a misunderstanding. President Zhang is a friend of mine and Lele's. He came to deliver things last time, and we were just saying goodbye at the station. He is a very good person, not like what is said on the internet."

Returning home, Xia Qinyi watched Lele playing "star dream workshop," but she felt a bit uneasy.

She took out her phone and sent a message to Zhang Fan: "Don't pay too much attention to the news on the internet. Lele is still saying she wants to play games with you online. If you are busy, you don't need to reply to me specifically, just take care of yourself."

Not long after, Zhang Fan replied with a warm smiley face emoji and a sentence: "Thank you, Qinyi, for letting you get involved. I will solve it as soon as possible, it won't affect you."

At ten in the morning, Zhou Yurou returned from Lin Wanyi's rehearsal site and walked straight into Zhang Fan's office.

She handed over a signed supplementary agreement, her tone carrying a bit of relief: "There is no problem with Lin Wanyi. She is still willing to continue the cooperation and even said she will issue a statement at an appropriate time to clarify that her cooperation with you is just normal business dealings, and by the way, say a few fair words for you."

"She is willing to believe me?" Zhang Fan was a little surprised, a warm current surging in his heart.

"She doesn't believe you, she believes her own judgment," Zhou Yurou said with a smile. "When I talked to her, she said she knew you were a 'freak focused on technology' in her past life. Seeing you build Singularity so big in this life, she is even more certain that you are not the kind of person who would engage in ambiguity. In addition, she also reminded me to let us investigate the backers behind the scandal, saying it might be related to the Lu family's opponents."

Zhang Fan nodded, his fingers tapping gently on the desktop: "Wang Chengsi is already investigating. He reported this morning that the funding sources of several marketing accounts that led the hype all point to an overseas shell company, and this company has secret connections with Polaris Capital."

"Polaris Capital?" Zhou Yurou frowned, "They not only want to poach our people but also want to destroy us through public opinion. They are truly unscrupulous!"

"It's more than that." Zhang Fan took out a document, which was an email sent by Lu Qingyan this morning. "Lu Qingyan found out that Polaris Capital has been contacting several entertainment companies recently, wanting to sign Lin Wanyi to threaten us to give up our cooperation with her. This scandal is likely their first step—first ruining my reputation, making Lin Wanyi voluntarily terminate the cooperation, and then taking the opportunity to sign her."

Just then, the office door was knocked softly, and Liu Ruyan walked in holding a technical report.

She saw Zhou Yurou and Zhang Fan discussing and hesitated for a moment before saying: "President Zhang, Ms. Zhou, this is the optimization report for the Star Core Engine. Please take a look. Also... Miss Song's public relations team contacted me just now, saying they could help me issue a clarification statement, but I refused."

"Why?" Zhou Yurou was a bit surprised.

"I want to prove it with my own ability." Liu Ruyan's voice was very soft but carried firmness. "When the next update of the Star Core Engine goes online, I will share the optimization details on the technical forum so that everyone knows that I can sit in this position not because of connections, but because of strength."

Zhang Fan looked at Liu Ruyan, his heart full of admiration. He nodded: "Okay, I support you. If you need any resources, tell me at any time."

As Liu Ruyan put down the report and turned to leave, she happened to meet Song Zhiwei walking in.

The two looked at each other, and Song Zhiwei spoke first, her tone carrying a bit of politeness: "Director Liu, regarding the rumors on the internet, my PR team can help you handle it, you don't have to be polite."

"Thank you, Miss Song, but I can solve it myself." Liu Ruyan nodded slightly and stepped aside to let Song Zhiwei pass, but her eyes carried a bit of detachment.

Song Zhiwei walked into the office, looked at Zhang Fan and Zhou Yurou, and her tone was direct: "I have already asked my father's people to investigate the matter of Polaris Capital. In addition, I have contacted several mainstream media outlets. They will publish an in-depth report on Singularity Technology this afternoon, focusing on the overseas achievements of 'star path: reboot' and the development process of the Star Core Engine, and by the way, clarify your scandal, using facts to overwhelm the rumors."

"Thank you, Zhiwei," Zhang Fan said sincerely.

Song Zhiwei turned her face away, her tone somewhat unnatural: "I am not helping you, I just don't want the Song family's investment to go down the drain. Also... Ms. Zhou, next time there is an important decision, we should discuss it together, such as the cooperation details with Lin Wanyi, don't let me be passive."

Zhou Yurou was stunned for a moment, then realized that Song Zhiwei was minding that she hadn't communicated with her about Lin Wanyi in advance.

She smiled and nodded: "Okay, I will definitely discuss it with you in advance next time."

The atmosphere in the office was somewhat subtle. Zhang Fan saw it but didn't point it out—Zhou Yurou's calmness, Song Zhiwei's strength, Liu Ruyan's resilience, and Xia Qinyi's gentleness.

Four women with completely different personalities were tied together because of this scandal. There were undercurrents in their relationships, but they were all working hard for the stability of Singularity.

He stood up, his tone firm: "No matter who the mastermind behind the scenes is, we cannot be led by the nose by them. The Technology Department will continue to optimize the Star Core Engine, the Operations Department will promote the cooperation with Lin Wanyi, and the Legal Department will speed up the investigation of evidence against Polaris Capital. As long as we are united, there is no hurdle we cannot overcome."

The sunlight outside the window shone through the glass onto the three of them, as if plating a layer of warm armor onto this tense public opinion war.

Meanwhile, at the Jiangcheng office of Polaris Capital, a man in a suit was looking at the public opinion data on his computer, a cold sneer curling on his lips: "Zhang Fan, this game has just begun."